Example of Report Text

Example of Report Text :

Text Report 1 :

Chameleons

            There are 80 different types of chameleons in the world, most of which are to be found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. The common chameleon ranges from the Middle East, along the North African coast to southern Spain.

            The chameleonis a slow-moving lizard which hunts for insects among trees and undergrowth. One of its peculiar features is its eyes, which are set in two conical sockets and can move independently of one another. This enables the chameleon to look behind with one eye and in front with the other.

            Chameleon are well-known for their ability to change colour. The skin and body markings can change colour to match the surroundings. Among the plants, for example, the chameleon is very difficult to spot among foliage.

            When the chameleon spots an insect which it things would make a fine meal, it shoots out a long, sticky tongue and draws its prey back into its mouth.

Text Report 2 :

Pygmy Hippopotamus

            The pygmy hippo is a solitary animal that lives among dense vegetation along streams and swamps and in the rainforests of West Africa. It sometimes lives in cultivated areas, but the pygmy hippo is shy. It avoid people, as well as other hippos.

            Each hippo has its own territory. The male’s territory is larger then the female’s. Both mark their territorial boundaries with their droppings. The pygmy hippo feeds mainly when it is dark. It spends most of the day resting within its territory. It changes resting places once or twice a week.

Text Report 3 :

Marsupials

            ’Marsupium’ means ’pouch’, and a marsupial is an animal whose babies complete their development in a pouch on its mother’s body. Kangaroos, koala, bears and wallabies are the most common marsupials, though marsupial bats and moles also exist.

            When the baby marsupial is born, it is small and helpless. It finds its way, by instinct, to its mother’s pouch. There it gets milk from its mother and grows steadily until it is large enough to leave the pouch and fend for itself.

            Marsupials developed before placental animals, which complete all their development inside the mother’s womb. Placental animals were better able to compete for food than marsupials. Marsupials died out in most parts of the world. Once Australia had become separated from the other continents, placental animals could not easily prey on marsupials any more. This is why marsupials have flourished in Australia. Nevertheless, some are also found in America.

Text Report 4 :

Earthworms

            An earthworm digs a hole by pushing into the loose soil with its pointed head and which then thickens, forcing the soil apart. Slowly but surely, the worm draws the rest of its body up to disappear into the hole. The earthworm can do this because its body has many narrow rings joined together by a soften material that enables it to change shape. Whenever the soil is too hard to be pushed aside, the earthworm eats its way through.

            By burrowing into the soil, the earthworm creates channels and pockets into which air can enter. This allows the soil to become oxygenated so that plant roots can breathe. In this way, earthworms act as gardeners and cultivators of the soil.

Text Report 5 :

Eucalyptus

            Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) is a tall evergreen tree native to Australia and Tasmania. Today, most commercial herbal preparations originate in Mediterranean and subtropical regions, including Spain and Marocco. The leaves and oil of the eucalyptus plant are used for medicinal purposes. Eucalyptus leaves contain tannins (which are believed to help reduce inflammation), flavonoids, and volatile oils. Eucalyptus oil consists of the volatile oil distilled from the fresh leaves and branch tops of the eucalyptus tree.

            There are many species of eucalyptus. Some are the size of an ornamental shrub, and some grow to be giant trees. The type of eucalyptus that is most often used medicinally is called blue gum or Australian fever tree. It can grow as high as 230 feet. Its 4-12 inch leaves are dark green and shiny.

Topical ointments containing eucalyptus oil have been used in traditional Aboriginal medicines to heal wounds and fungal infections. Teas containing eucalyptus leaves were also used to reduce fevers. The therapeutic uses of eucalyptus soon spread to other traditional medicine systems, including Chinese, Indian, and Greco European.